ANAHEIM, Calif. - Jared Grindlinger walked into the home clubhouse at Angel Stadium and headfirst into a flurry of excitement.
A photo op with his family in his new Los Angeles Angels jersey was the first step, followed by live stretching and batting practice sessions with the team, all the while faced with a seemingly endless stream of handshakes with staffers, players and reporters.
For Grindlinger, the 17-year-old Huntington Beach native and 12th-overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, Angel Stadium isn't unfamiliar territory by any means. But he's never experienced it quite like this.
"It's been surreal," Grindlinger said. "Growing up, we'd sit right above here [home dugout]. We had season tickets... I remember getting yelled at for like putting my feet on the dugout or something. So I mean, it's definitely nice to be on this side of the field."
This kind of treatment for a first-round pick has been an unfamiliar site for the Angels' first-round picks the last few years, but interim general manager John Mozeliak thought it was important for Grindlinger to have this kind of experience, not only because he's a local, but because it gives him just a taste of what it's like to play at the highest level and leaves him with a lasting impression of that feeling before his work begins.
"He grew up here being a fan and I think that's amazing how he has that connection," Mozeliak said. "Where I come from, [We] tend to take that first-round player, give them this experience, [I] think it's something that's cool. But more importantly, if it was in your backyard, better. So I definitely wanted him to experience this and he'll never forget it."
Amidst the excitement is a non-zero amount of nerves, going from high school classes a little over a month ago to taking batting practice while Mike Trout , Jo Adell and Zach Neto watch.
Despite the pressure, Grindlinger took it all in stride, even launching a home run during his turn at the plate.
Seeing him walk around and soak it all in transported Angels manager Kurt Suzuki back to the beginning of his own playing days and how he felt walking into a Big League club for the first time after being drafted.
"Just looking how big those guys were. I didn't know if I was gonna be able to make it," Suzuki said. "I was obviously nervous and just being around all the big guys there, which was exciting for me, and just seeing the Big League atmosphere in the clubhouse and stuff with all these guys making millions of dollars was cool."
Grindlinger is taking the chance to get to know some of his now-organizational teammates and get all the advice he could from them. Some of the best, he said, came from Adell.
"I knew that he [Adell] got drafted out of high school, so I just said, 'what helped you with the hitting part of it, going from high school pitching to, you know, Minor League guys?" Grindlinger said. "He just said, 'you'll get used to it and just stick with your routines... the Angels drafted you because they like you, so just stay within yourself."
On top of the stadium tour, Grindlinger has officially signed a contract with the team, a $5,889,300 dollar contract to be exact, per Jim Callis. Now his career truly begins.
